GAMEDAY CENTRAL
IUP Crimson Hawks (15-5, 11-2 PSAC)
at Mercyhurst Lakers (9-8, 6-7 PSAC)
Saturday, January 27, 2018 | 3 p.m.
Erie, Pa. | Mercyhurst Athletic Center 

Full Game Notes (PDF)
Stats: HurstAthletics.com | Stat Broadcast
Radio: WQMU 92.5 FM | u92radio.com | U92.5 Sports App (Android & iPhone)
Video: HurstAthletics.com | Stretch Internet
Social Media: Twitter | @IUP_MBB

COMING UP
Wednesday, Jan. 31 at Slippery Rock (7:30 p.m.)
Saturday, Feb. 3 vs. Gannon (7:30 p.m.)

THE GAME AT A GLANCE
The division-leading IUP men's basketball team (15-5, 11-2 PSAC) takes its four-game win streak to Erie this weekend to square off against Mercyhurst (9-8, 6-7 PSAC). Tipoff in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center is set for 3 p.m. After two straight close wins, the Crimson Hawks have put together back-to-back blowouts, including Wednesday's 92-70 win over Seton Hill. The Lakers have won two straight and are coming off of an 80-79 win over Edinboro.

TIPOFF NOTES
>> The Crimson Hawks are 54-6 in the month of January since the 2011-12 season, including a 7-1 record this year; The 85-82 loss to ESU was IUP's first in the month of January since 2015
>> One of those wins was a 67-57 home victory over Mercyhurst on Jan. 6
>> The Mercyhurst Athletic Center (MAC) is a tough place for opponents, with the Lakers boasting an 8-0 record there this season; Mercyhurst's eight wins have come by an average of 16 points 
>> IUP is 6-3 away from home this season, including a 6-1 record in true road games; 
>> The Crimson Hawks four straight wins is the second longest current streak in the PSAC; Shippensburg has won six in a row and now lead the Eastern Division
>> IUP holds a two-game lead over Slippery Rock in the West 

SERIES WITH MERCYHURST
>> The Crimson Hawks own a 24-10 all-time record in the series, including five straight wins; IUP has outscored the Lakers by an average of 10 points during the streak
>> IUP HC Joe Lombardi is 18-6 lifetime against Mercyhurst, including a 4-6 record in the MAC; The Crimson Hawks defeated Mercyhurst 80-69 in Erie last year

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE LAKERS
>> Mercyhurst is 9-8 overall and five spots behind IUP in the PSAC West standings with a 6-7 league record
>> The Lakers are a completely different team at home than on the road, with an 8-0 record in the MAC (1-8 road)
>> They average 18 points more at home (77.5) and give up just 59 points per game in Erie
>> Mercyhurst is sixth in Division II allowing just 63.6 points; Opponents have scored more than 70 points just once in the last seven games
>> The Lakers scoring offense is next to last in the PSAC at 67.9 PPG, but have scored 80+ four times at home
>> Sr. G Lorenzo Collier has a team-best 16.0 PPG, including 20.8 PPG with three 20-point games in the last four

CRIMSON HAWKS ONE OF HOTTEST TEAMS IN PSAC
>> IUP sits on top of the PSAC West with an 11-2 league record; Slippery Rock trails at 10-4
>> The Crimson Hawks are 10-1 in their last 11 games, with nine of those wins coming against PSAC opponents
>> They've scored 80+ points six times in those 11 games, averaging 78.9 PPG with a 48.2 FG% and 38.6 3FG%
>> IUP had a six-game win streak that included a 74-59 win over Fairmont State, last year's national finalist
>> IUP started the year 1-3 and had four losses in its first nine games
>> All four of IUP's five losses are to teams currently ranked in the Top 25 by the NABC/D2SIDA - #4/3 Ferris State (86-82), #8/9 Virginia State (69-64), #13/12 Findlay (80-61), and #20/17 West Chester (93-78)

3-POINT SHOOTING CARRYING CRIMSON HAWKS, ONE OF TOP SHOOTING TEAMS IN THE REGION
>> IUP is second in the PSAC and ranks fifth in the Atlantic Region with a 38.5 3FG% (184-478)
>> The Crimson Hawks' 184 made 3s are second overall in the PSAC; their 9.2 3s made per game are fourth
>> They're averaging 11.3 made 3s in the last three games, including 13 at Cal and 12 against Seton Hill; Sr. G Anthony Glover, Jr. (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) has made 15 during that span
>> IUP has made 10+ 3-pointers eight times this year, including 15 against Urbana and Pitt-Johnstown
>> Six Crimson Hawks have made double-digit 3-pointers this year, led by 63 from Glover.; Jr. G Dante Lombardi (Indiana, Pa./The Kiski School) has 30 and Gr. F Blake Danielak (Georgetown, Tex./Liberty Hill) has 26
>> IUP returned its top six 3-point shooters from last year's squad that broke single season program records with 303 made treys and 808 attempts

GLOVER LEADS IUP, AMONG PSAC BEST IN SCORING
>> Sr. G Anthony Glover, Jr. (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) is having his best season, leading the Crimson Hawks and ranking 8th in the PSAC with an average of 19.8 PPG
>> Glover is one of the best pure shooters in the PSAC, ranking 2nd with a 46.7 3FG%, 2nd with 3.2 made 3FGs per game, 6th with an 87.3 FT% (62-71), and 16th with a 48.9 FG% (135-276)
>> He has three 30-point performances in the last eight games, averaging 23.8 PPG during that span
>> Glover has 10 games of 20-plus points, reaching double-figures 19 of 20 games
>> Glover scored a career-high 34 points (8-15 FGs, 6-8 3FGs, 12-12 FTs) in an 89-85 win over Slippery Rock (Jan. 8)
>> During the Slippery Rock win, Glover went over 1,000 points in his 3-year IUP career; He's totaled 1,337 points collegiately, including 1,119 with the Crimson Hawks and 218 as a freshman at Chicago State (2014-15)
>> Glover scored 31 points (11-17 FGs, 6-8 3FGs, 3-4 FTs) in an 81-76 comeback win over Pitt-Johnstown (Jan. 3)

ALL-AMERICAN DIAZ CLOSE TO 1,000-POINT MILESTONE
>> Jr. F Jacobo Diaz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain/CBA Gran Canaria) is one of four players in the PSAC averaging a double-double with 13.9 PPG and 10.0 RPG
>> Diaz is looking to join Glover in the 1,000 point club, entering the weekend with 987 points in his career
>> Diaz was one of 100 players named to the Bevo Francis Award Watch List, which goes to the top small college player in the nation; It's the second straight year he was named to the watch list
>> He has 9 double-doubles in 20 games this year; That brings his career total to 25 double-doubles, including 14 in 32 games as a sophomore and two in 29 games as a freshman
>> Diaz averaged a double-double with 14.4 PPG and 10.0 RPG in 2016-17; He was the first IUP player since Darryl Webb (Elkridge, Md./Long Reach) in 2010-11 (17.4 PPG, 10.1 RPG) to average a double-double for an entire season

LOMBARDI BACK TO FORM AFTER EARLY SEASON INJURY
>> Jr. G Dante Lombardi (Indiana, Pa./The Kiski School) is also close to the scoring milestone with 909 points (11.5 PPG) in his career
>> Lombardi is 3rd on the team with 12.4 PPG with 13 double-figure scoring efforts in 18 games this year
>> Lombardi is also IUP's top distributor, ranking fourth in the PSAC with 4.9 APG
>> He made the game-winning 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left in IUP's 70-67 win at Edinboro (Jan. 13)